


Paying the Bills

by cuddlingqueen



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Drabble, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 21:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3545063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlingqueen/pseuds/cuddlingqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How do Caitlin and Cisco make money now that the particle accelerator blew up? Barry finds out where Caitlin works by accident. Rated PG-13 for one reference later on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paying the Bills

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I’m posting on here! There’s definitely more to come, but I thought this was a good one to ease into the process. Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy! :)

Barry was still a young adult, which meant he was still terrible at a lot of things: doing the grocery shopping, picking up after himself, doing the laundry… He was definitely living the bachelor lifestyle. He used to go to the store after work, but now with his second vigilante job, that wasn’t an option.

He found himself alone on Friday night, staring into his empty refrigerator after saving half the city from being electrocuted. He decided it was as good a time as any to go shopping. He went to the 24-hour grocer downtown – distance wasn’t really an issue anymore.

Ever since he got his powers, he was even more high maintenance. This also meant he got to eat pretty much anything he wanted. He grabbed all his favorites: cheddar chips, Dr. Pepper, gummy bears… The store was so quiet this time of night, he figured no one would notice if he used a little super-speed. He filled up a cart in no time. He was on his way to the checkout (in a record 12 minutes) when he was passing by the inside pharmacy.

Was that Caitlin’s voice?

He decided to walk in. He went up to the counter and rang the bell. “Coming!” said a voice from behind the shelves. Barry realized he hadn’t thought of a second part to his plan.

She rounded the corner with a smile on her face. Their eyes met, and her face fell. “Barry! What are you doing here?” She looked horrified.

In his matter-of-fact tone he replied, “Grocery stores are still where you go to buy groceries, right?”

Her scour softened a little. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you followed me here?”

He really hadn’t, not this time. He put his arms on the counter and leaned in. “Caitlin, why are you here?”

She realized he wasn’t joking, and her face softened. “To pay the bills, Barry. It’s not like the vigilante life has a big paycheck.”

Barry never really considered what they did in their off time. He was working at the police station when he wasn’t being The Flash. His work demanded all of his attention… He started staring off into space. Caitlin broke his concentration.

“So, are you gonna buy anything?”

He really didn’t want to look like he was stalking her… He had to buy _something_. Without looking, he pointed at an item on the wall behind her. She turned around to see what it was. She was a little in shock. She grabbed the box of extra-large condoms and set them on the counter. She asked him, “hot date?”

He looked a little mortified, but with super-speed came a super-fast brain. He looked her straight in the eye and said “Not yet.” She was a little flustered, and so was he. He didn’t really expect that to come out of his mouth either.

He started stumbling over his words, trying to backpedal on what he said. “I mean… when I… j-j-just…” As cute as it was watching him struggle, she cut him off.

“Tomorrow night. 8 o’clock. The Chinese place down the street.”

He looked at her, a little stunned. He was finally speechless.

“Goodbye, Barry.”

He walked out of the pharmacy, without saying a word to Caitlin. It finally caught up with him what had happened. “I… I have a date. With Caitlin.” A big smile broke out across his face.

He had never been so happy at the checkout of a grocery store in his life.


End file.
